Space LEGO! Bricks in Space as blocks ready for blast-off

Space travel and LEGO: two of the three most awesome things science has given us (the third being Hot Pockets), and now getting to co-exist in zero gravity. Space Shuttle Endeavor takes off on Friday with a cargo hold jammed full of LEGO as part of the company's Bricks in Space project.

Well, perhaps not quite packed full: in actual fact there will be thirteen LEGO sets, on their way to the International Space Station. There, astronauts will build models and, from September, use video links with classrooms back on Earth to help kids explore science in an arguably more attention-grabbing way.

It's all the work of LEGO Education, the company's arm devoted to integrating LEGO's various ranges into the classroom. There's a list of the different projects the astronauts will be tackling here.